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Credit & Copyright: Li Xuanhua
Explanation:
Yes, but can your thunderstorm do this?
Pictured here are
gigantic jets shooting up from a
thunderstorm last week toward the
Himalayan Mountains in
China and
Bhutan.
The composite image captured four long jets that occurred only minutes apart.
Gigantic jets, documented only in this century,
are a type of lightning discharge that occurs between some
thunderstorms and the Earth's
ionosphere high above them.
They are an unusual type of lightning
that is much different from regular cloud-to-cloud and
cloud-to-ground lightning.
The bottoms of gigantic jets appear similar to a
cloud-to-above strike called
blue jets, while the tops appear similar to
upper-atmosphere
red sprites.
Although the mechanism and
trigger that cause gigantic jets remains a
topic of research,
it is clear that the jets reduce charge imbalance between different parts of
Earth's atmosphere.
A good way to look for
gigantic jets is to watch a powerful but
distant thunderstorm from a clear location.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: lightning
Publications with words: lightning
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 9 Á Up from the Earth: Gigantic Jet Lightning
- APOD: 2025 July 27 Á Lightning over the Volcano of Water
- APOD: 2024 August 13 Á Giant Jet from the International Space Station
- APOD: 2023 October 2 Á Sprite Lightning in High Definition
- APOD: 2023 September 18 Á The Red Sprite and the Tree
- APOD: 2023 June 25 Á Lightning on Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 April 17 Á ELVES Lightning over Italy